The Merman Complex
by youandwhattoaster
Summary: My take on the merDanny AU. Danny has always been nothing more than average and invisible. So, what will happen when Danny is in a near fatal accident and is whisked into a new world of heroics, adventure, and excitement. Rated T for safety.
1. Chapter 1

A/N- Hello all, this is a story I've had in mind for months now. I have writers block on my other story, The Estrangement, so I thought writing this might help. It is an AU inspired by two other fics, s/9504184/1/Fathoms-Below and s/8777277/1/Phantasma-Nereiorum-Formant the version of Amity in this story is hard to describe so if you want a visual aid . /_cb20120703015846/avatar/images/4/40/Jang_ Other than that I hope you enjoy this story, favs, follows, and reviews especially are greatly appreciated.

Disclaimer- I don't own Danny Phantom

There never really was anything special about Danny Fenton. He went to an average middle school, got average grades, and spoke to average people. His family is a whole other story. His sister, Jazz Fenton, is an absolute genus. She could easily get into any college and will most likely revolutionize the world. Danny parents are also geniuses, both scientists and inventors. The two of them could do anything they could probably cure cancer if they were to focus their efforts to that. But they don't. No, they would rather put their knowledge and efforts into hunting merpeople. This is the reason why Danny spent his first week of summer vacation between middle and high school packing his belongings and moving to a small, almost unheard of, fishing village called Amity Park.

Amity Park isn't even an actual land form, let alone a park, rather it is a complex series of buildings lifted above a lake with wooden platforms and 'main lands' or actual towns on actual land, which are at least ten miles away, surrounding it. Danny's parents discovered Amity Park while on Google images one night. It was within a five-mile radius of roughly where they believed would have optimal conditions for merpeople to reside. Seeing as it was a town based purely on water and the lake it is built on is the most likely place for merpeople to live based on their research they decided it was the best place to do their work. With out even telling their children, they purchased a house then and there.

The Fentons have lived in Amity for little over three months. In that time Danny turned 14 and spent most of his summer alone in the house. Jazz became well acquainted with the library and Danny's parents remodeled the first floor of the house into a lab and had stairs put in the front of the house to lead to the second floor, as if it is the first floor, with a door on the side of the house that goes directly into the lab. Summer left and Danny and Jazz began attending their new high school which, ironically enough, is named Posiden High.

It was there that Danny made his first friends, Sam Manson and Tucker Foley. Danny never had friends before so it was a new and shocking experience for him. The three of them are perfect for each other. Their traits and personalities work together in perfect harmony. The three of them became nearly inseparable.

He also got his first bully, Dash Baxter. Danny was more than used to being bullied, as soon as people find out what his parents do for work and dubbing them as glorified crack-pots and his sister as a know-it-all didn't stand a chance in this new town. People almost never move in or out so everyone knows everyone, which makes getting in any sort of involvement with the town is nearly impossible. It was lucky that Danny's parents are self-employed. Danny was always left to take the beatings and tongue lashings they would like to give the rest of the Fentons, but seeing as Danny is so average he is the perfect target. That is, until one fateful day where Danny's curiosity got the best of him.

When they arrived home Danny and Jazz were called down to the 'lab' and witness Maddie and Jack unveil their 'greatest invention that will change life as they know it.' The lab was nothing more than one big continuous room with lab tables and equipment strewn about in orderly disarray. in the center of the lab there is a 'pool' which is nothing more than a hole through the bottom of the house and the platform it stands upon, revealing a clear path to the lake the town is built upon. The newest addition to the lab was what looked like a hole constructed of scrap metal in the wall.

Once realizing that the hole was their parents so-called invention Jazz scoffed, rolled her eyes and said she was going to the library. Danny was just about to follow her lead and leave when he looked at hid parents and saw the sadness and disappointment in their eyes as their daughter disregarded their proudest feat. Wanting to distract his parents from Jazz's departure and help them cheer up, Danny started talking.

"So" He started hesitantly, "What exactly is that thing?"

Maddie started to answer Danny when Jack, in his usual boisterous way, cut in. "That there Danny boy is the Fenton portal, when I turn this bad boy on it will open a portal straight into the heart of the merpeoples' civilization."

Danny gave them both a confused stare. "Wait, I thought we moved here because you thought that the 'heart of merpoeples' civilization' was near Amity?" Danny stated in a questioning tone.

Giving Jack a glare before he could even think to interrupt her again, Maddie answered. "Yes that is exactly why we moved here. Unfortunately we were wrong about the merpeoples' whereabouts or they are well hidden. We decided to use this as our plan two as we have had the calculations for it perfected for years."

"You really think it will work?" Danny asked "We will really find merpeople?"

"Of course it will work." Jack said.

"We spent almost three-month building that portal to absolute perfection and have checked all the equations and had them perfected for nearly twenty years." Maddie said. With absolute determination and conviction in her voice Maddie said, "It has to work."

Danny didn't answer and didn't see a need to. He had an odd feeling about the idea of the portal and the near desperation his parents were displaying. Brushing the feeling off, he watched as his parents went to the portal's control panel and got all the settings optimal for activation.

Stepping away and looking at each other and then the portal Danny's parents asked if he was ready. He responded in the affirmative and watched as his parents shared one more look. Maddie set her hand on the activation lever fist, then Jack set his hand on top of hers and they pulled the lever down together. Nothing happened.

Confused because the portal looked exactly the same, Danny decided to speak up. "Was that it? Did it work?" He asked.

Dropping their hands from the lever, Danny's parents looked at him. The sheer amount of pure depression in their eyes unnerved Danny like nothing else. In a near whisper Maddie answered him. "No."

Wanting to cheer up his parents Danny asked another question. "Well maybe it needs some time to activate? It must be hard to bring two worlds together, right?"

"No." Maddie said, slightly louder this time.

"It would have been fully operational within seconds." Jack explained.

Seeing that his parents were in no mood or state to talk, Danny remained silent. He watched as his parent walked past him and up the stairs. Giving one last look to the portal, Danny followed them.

As his parents sat silently at the kitchen table, no doubt lost in thought, Danny sat on the couch and turned on the TV. Almost two hours later Jazz returned home from her trip to the library and went up to her room. Danny was about to turn off the TV and do the same, when he heard his parents start to talk in the other room.

"I just don't get it, we had every thing done to absolute perfection, even if it was glitchy, at-least the one we made in college turned on." Jack said.

"I think we are so caught up in the technical side of it were are probably overlooking something extremely simple. I'm pretty sure all we need is a couple days off to let our brains refresh so we can find what it is that we are overlooking." Maddie said calmly.

"Yeah, actually that's a great plan Maddie, and I wouldn't mind a few days rest." Jack said almost back to his usual cheery self.

'If it truly is something simple I might be able to find it" Danny thought. 'The portal could work tonight.'

Quickly and quietly making his way down stairs, as he wanted the portals activation to be a surprise, Danny revisited the ominous hole in the labs wall.

After nearly and hour of searching the control panel, outside, and around the portal for any mistake, and finding none, Danny decided it would go by quicker with more people looking. Unlocking the door that goes straight into the lab, Danny sent a quick text to both Sam and Tucker to ask them to help and go through the side door.

Deciding to continue looking while Sam and Tucker made their way over, Danny found the only place he hadn't looked over yet was the portal. With and odd feeling of foreboding that Danny tried to ignore, he entered the portal. Looking around he saw that it was not much more than a metal lined tunnel. Turning, he spotted a small red glowing light. Taking a step towards it he saw something that made him face-palm and give out a low, humorless chuckle. What Danny found was the 'off' and 'on' buttons. The portal didn't turn on because it was currently off. Danny reached out and pressed the 'on' button.

He instantly regretted his decision when he realized the portal was activating with him inside. Bright, blinding lights turned on and water electrified with a strange energy rushed through the portal and surrounded him. He tried to scream in his pain and agony but it was muted by the water.

Minutes passed and the portal finally became stable. Danny was on the ground and unable to feel his legs. His head hurt too much to think about it so he slowly dragged himself out of the portal. Taking in a few labored breaths and hearing very faintly in the back ground the door from the outside into the lab opening, Danny passed out.

Walking into the lab were Sam and Tucker. They froze in their place and took in the scene before them. It was something they would not soon forget.

Laying there, unconscious, on the floor of the Fenton's lab was Danny. Danny with white hair, fins, scales, and a tail. Their friend is a merman.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N- Thank you all for the support of this story. I'm very sorry it took me a while to update this, but the good news is that I have 2-3 chapters outlined. All reviews, follows, and favorites are greatly appreciated. I don't own Danny Phantom.

Sam and Tucker were frozen in place due to their shock. As thy started to slowly come to and realize Danny was unconscious and likely hurt, another shocking event occurred.

Danny, suddenly a merman Danny, reverted back to a human form, groaned and slowly started to come to. This caused Sam to break free of her shock and run to Danny cradling him and trying to relax him. Tucker slowly and cautiously walked to the two of them.

Danny finally managed to open his eyes in time for Sam and Tucker to witness them fade from a glowing green to their typical blue. "Sam ...Tuck ...'M tired..." That was all Danny managed to slur out before his eyes slipped shut once more.

Sam and Tucker snapped into action both grabbing and end of Danny and, as discretely as possible, hauling him to his room and resting him in his bed to sleep. Sam and Tucker met eyes from either side of Danny's bed. It was clear they were both thinking of what they saw upon entering the basement but they were both having trouble just believing it, let alone talking about it. Talking, no matter what the subject just didn't feel right, so they sat in silence for the four and a half hours it took Danny to wake up.

When Danny did finally wake up he was completely disoriented and confused. His whole body felt weird especially his legs. He wanted to talk but his thought was in pain and his words were nothing more than a hoarse, garbled noise.

Sam and Tucker looked at him in shock and fear. Danny confusedly tried to register their strange looks but no matter how hard he tried they didn't make sense.

After minutes of tense, awkward silence, Danny finally managed to talk, even though it was still obvious that his vocal cords weren't working quite right. "Sam... Wha- Tucker? Whats happening, why are you looking at me like that? " When all that happened was Sam and Tucker sharing a look over him, Danny tried again. "Please guys, answer me! I'm so confused! I can't remember anything that happened! Please!" Danny was desperate, he was practically screaming at this point, his voice getting louder and more panicked with each word.

Tucker was horrified into silence so Sam figured she had to take one for the team this time. "Danny," She said hesitantly, " you said you don't remember anything, is that true?"

"Uh, Yeah?" Danny said immensely confused. "Sam what's wrong? Why does it matter if I don't remember anything?"

Tucker finally spoke up "It doesn't, nothing interesting happened." Sam wanted to hit him but she held back. Thinking about the pros and cons for a moment Sam spoke up once more. "Yeah Danny, Tuck's right nothing happened but you falling asleep, stop being so paranoid!" She tried her best to keep her voice level and casual, but Sam knew she slipped a bit by looking at Danny's suspicious expression.

"Sure, Sam I believe you two. What could you possibly need to lie to me about." Danny made sure to make his voice as questioning and doubtful as possible hoping that it would guilt his friends into telling him what they were hiding.

"Right, yeah. Well Tuck and I promised to go talk to my grandma so we better go now so we aren't late. I'd invite you Danny but I think you need rest. Bye Danny. C'mon Tuck!" Sam said hurriedly in hopes to leave before her or Tucker would be guilted into telling the truth. She grabbed Tuckers arm and practically pulled him out of the Fenton house hold, barely allowing him to let out a rushed "Bye dude." to Danny.

As Sam and Tucker walked side by side down the sidewalk, Tucker kept giving her a critical look. After a few minutes Sam got tired of it. "Oh, would you cut it out already! You're the one who started the whole 'nothing happened' thing!"

"Yeah, yeah I know, okay! I admit I probably shouldn't have done that, I just panicked!" Tucker said hurriedly, trying to defend himself. "You're the person I expected to go with it." Tucker muttered to Sam.

She sighed, what more could she do? What's done is done. "Yeah, me too. I just want to protect him. I'm sorry for yelling." She looked at him apologetically.

"It's fine Sam don't worry about it. I'm sorry too." The two of them exchanged a smile and that was that. They walked in comfortable silence back to Sam's house.

Nearly a week passed without incident since then. Danny started to feel better but he couldn't get that nagging feeling out of the back of his mind telling him something was off. Sam and Tucker gradually dropped their hesitant actions and started treating Danny normally again.

The three of them were walking home from school on Wednesday afternoon. they were just passing the half way point on their walk to Danny's house, known as 'The Beach'. needless to say it was not a beach, rather it is a large wooden platform from a failed construction project. the wood is slanted so that it is gradually sloping into the surrounding water, giving the vague impression of a shore. Sam and Tucker gave Danny nervous looks as he walked close to the 'shore'.

Danny was ready to demand an answer for their weirdness to him when he was rudely interrupted. "Yo Fenturd!" The big, blond, idiot known as Dash yelled as he approached the three with hostility. Danny had to resist rolling his eyes so he wouldn't annoy the bully anymore than he already was.

"Yes, Dash, what do you want?" Danny asked as calmly as he could. Dash smirked, and Danny knew that this was going to end badly. "So glad you asked Fentina." Dash said, continuing to butcher Danny's last name. "I saw you walking so close to the shore, and I thought to myself, he must need a bath the dirty looser!" Danny and friends caught on to Dash was saying and were all horrified, that only served to egg Dash on more.

"Please Dash, don't do this." Danny said hoping Dash could be deterred. "Why would I do that? I'm helping you Fentoe-nail" Dash said as he hauled Danny up and over his shoulder. Danny was starting to get desperate. "Please, Please Dash don't do this! I'm begging you I'll do anything you ask promise please don't do this!" Dash just scoffed at Danny's begging.

Dash had taken off his shoes and socks and the water was almost touching the hem of his shorts. "Dash, please!" Dash started to move Danny in his arms getting ready to throw him. Sam and Tucker were desperately yelling at Dash and hitting him. As Dash pulled his body back to get momentum for the throw, Danny screamed out in one last attempt.

"PLEASE DON'T! I CAN'T SWIM!" Dash gave him a bored look and flung him forward. As he was air bound the last thing Danny heard was Dash saying, "I don't believe you."

Danny fell into the water with a great splash and Dash walked away feeling satisfied until he heard Sam say in a soft voice, "He wasn't lying."

Dash felt ice run in his veins at that, Danny could drown because he didn't listen. Taking a breath, Dash continued walking, telling himself they were lying, they just wanted him to feel bad.

All Danny could register was that he was sinking and it was dark and murky under water. He tried to kick his arm and legs but quickly tired himself and allowed the water to pull him down. As his lungs started burning, Danny realized he didn't want to die and that's what would happen if he didn't swim.

As he went to kick his legs he found that they felt funny once more. In fact, his legs felt heavy, and almost like they were fused together. With his legs being heavier, Danny started to fall faster.

He finally felt his feet hit the sand at the bottom of the lake, pushing into it a bit. Though, it didn't feel right. He also noticed his lungs no longer burned and the water was crystal clear. His mind started to become hazy and Danny knew, through some weird instinct he would loose the ability to think cognitively.

Wanting one last answer before his mind gave itself over to instincts, Danny looked over his shoulder to where his legs should be. Except they weren't.

Rather than the legs Danny expected to see, he was met with a much more shocking sight. A tail. He has a tail.

With that last thought Danny's mind allowed instincts to take over.

Thank you all so much for reading and I'm sorry you had to wait so long to do so. I really hope you are enjoying this story. That being said I had an idea for another story I'd like to get some feed back on to know if anyone would be interested. It would be a Dash/Danny fic, and the idea of it is that Dash finds out he's a natural at piano so he stays after school to play. Danny stays after to study in the room next door and hears the piano, getting bored Danny starts singing to one of the songs. Not knowing who the other is they make music through the wall together and things escalate.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N- Thank you for all the support you have shown this story! I'm so grateful and shocked that people are enjoying it. I don't own Danny Phantom.

Sam was starting to get nervous, so very nervous to the point that she allowed it to show as she paced along side the water on the broken platform. Tucker was also nervous but not to the same level as Sam, mostly because he was trying to distract himself on his PDA looking up how long a person can hold their breath, how deep the lake their town was built upon, and other similar things.

When nearly two minutes passed Sam was sitting next to Tucker a good four to five feet away from the platforms drop off into the water. They were both silenced by their fear and anxiety, hoping to see their friend rise above the waters surface at any moment.

Once the two minute mark had come and time kept ticking on without Danny making his way out of the water Sam began taking her heavy combat boots off and removing the objects in her pockets. Tucker wanted to speak up and say something, maybe stop her, but he was worried for Danny too, and they both knew that Sam was the stronger swimmer and much more capable of rescuing their friend.

Sam took a deep breath trying to calm her already frayed nerves, trying to mentally prepare herself for what she was about to do. She took another look over at Tucker trying to gauge his reaction to the whole situation. For the first time in what seemed like forever he had completely dismissed any and all electronics, not giving them even a single thought. He looked up at her giving her what he hoped to be and encouraging nod, as words seemed almost inappropriate and unfitting in the situation to both of them.

Taking one last deep breath to set her resolve in stone, Sam got up to one knee, preparing to push herself up to stand. Before she go the chance to do that, the water near the platform began to aggressively ripple.

A hand with three black claws, one on the pinky, one on the ring, and one on the middle finger and dark green webbing emerged from the water. It was soon followed by an arm with a fin of the same dark green extending from the outer (pinky) side of the forearm from a couple inches below the wrist to a bit past the elbow.

The unusual arm shot itself to the wooden platform, quickly extending its three clawed fingers and slamming them down into the wood getting a good grasp on it. Another arm, identical to the first but being the left one instead of right, repeated the action but fell short of the other hands grasp, just barely getting past the edge of the platform. Unfortunately the water damage and pressure of the claws cause a chunk of wood to completely rip off leaving the left arm to flop back into the water.

Due to the increase in the ripples and bubbles in the water, one could only guess that the creature the arms belonged to was getting quiet aggravated with its failure to grasp the platform. the left arm rose from the lake once again this time bringing a head and shoulders with it. The arm raced to the wood with incredible speed, slamming its claws into the wood with all its might and finally getting a firm grasp.

The expression on the creatures face along with the shine in its already bright green eyes, and rise of its dark green ear frills/ fins sowed that it was quite satisfied and proud of its small accomplishment. The creature also had wet white hair, three gills on each side of its neck, and razor sharp canines to go along with its previously mentioned bright green eyes with pupils similar to a snakes' and ear fins.

Sam and Tucker were in shock and denial. Neither could believe what they were seeing and neither wanted to believe what they were seeing. This creature, it so closely resembled Danny's appearance in his parents lab that fateful day. The two of the watched with wide eyes, not daring to move or speak.

Now that the creature had a strong grip it began to use the muscles in its arm to pull its torso out of the water. With difficulty, it began to lean its body on the dock and use its arms and claws to crawl forward. once the creature's butt was on the platform it was able to roll to its back, sit up, then roll its body to be parallel with the 'shore' leaving it face up laying on its back and heavily panting.

At this point the creatures long gunmetal black tail with dark green fins down the back, along the sides, with two fins in the center top front, one on the bottom center front of the tail, and its large fin at the end of the tail revealed it to be a merman. More specifically Danny as a merman.

Between pants of air Danny looked over to Sam and Tucker and was shocked to see a glimmer of recognition in their eyes. Still slightly panting, Danny began to voice his confusion.

"S-sam? . . . Tuck? Talk to me please. I know you know it's me. And, I know this must be what has made you so freaked out lately, so please speak to me." Danny's voice was rough and cracked, often being interrupted with Danny's panting.

When Sam and Tucker still were hesitant to speak or even move Danny tried once more to snap his friends out of their shocked state. "I know you guys must be freaked out right now but, you've known about this for a week now! I just found out and it's my body, how do you think I feel? Don't you think it's time I'm given some sort of explanation?"

That managed to do the trick and Sam and Tucker snapped out of their dazed state. "Your right, Danny, and we're both sorry." Sam started to say stopping due to Tuckers interruption of "Very sorry!".

Giving Tucker a glare, Sam continued talking. "We should have talked to you sooner on this subject, especially because of how directly it concerns you, we were just confused and scared. That being said, Tuck and I promise to give you all the details but, we should probably do something about you being a merman out in the open that could be spotted by anyone at any moment."

Realizing the danger and truth in Sam's words the three of them tried to come up with a solution to Danny's fish problem. After several minutes of debate and pointless internet research, they decided to move Danny into a nearby dark alley.

As Sam and Tucker positioned themselves to lift Danny a bright light went over his body and he was a human once more.

"Dude, sweet! How'd ya do that?" Tucker asked Danny in his usual enthusiastic manner.

"I have no idea." Danny replied.

Sense they managed to solve their first problem, at least temporarily, the three of them decided to go to a small burger joint, The Nasty Burger, to talk in relative privacy.

A/N- I hope you enjoyed that chapter, please like, _**review**_, follow this story, or follow me, it is really appreciated and it makes me super happy. For anyone who read my note last chapter about that idea of a Dash x Danny fic, I'm pretty sure I'm going through with it.


End file.
